Project Redemption
by Blandman
Summary: AU. OC. A new string of murders alerts the Titans. Someone dubbed the "Blue Devil" is ripping through the underground in a seemingly random direction. What does this vigilante want? Can they track them down? Rated M for safety. Canon pairings if any .
1. Summary

Summary

Okay. Yes, I'll put my hands up and admit that this is an original character story. Sorry if that's not your thing or if anyone gets irked about it, but thems the way I'm going.

Now, I don't consider myself to be any great writer. I'm no Tolkein I'll admit. But I like to believe (perhaps in my own little world) that I am a half decent writer with plenty of room to improved. So critical, constructive and whatever reviews are always welcome.

This story might take on a darker tone than is usual for the setting, and some parts may tend to drag. But I generally have it all set out and know where everything is going to.

There was a short story that I did to introduce the character I will be using, but only read it if you feel like it but it isn't necessary. Most things will be revealed here gradually.

All that done, I hope you enjoy it!


	2. Hunter and Hunted

Project Redemption

_Good Mornin' Jump City! This is Allan Mack comin' to ya live from JCN Radio and boy is it a great morning to be awake for. A big call out to all my rush hour listeners! Keep in touch my friends and I'll make your trip just that quick! We gotta great line up for you today with guest includi-...Oh-ho! This just in. Seems like bright ol' Dr. Light is causing some traffic problems in the Downtown district. Officials have contained the scene and we can confirm that the Titans are on, the, case! Give him a good one two from your pal The Mack Attack guys! And now. Time for some music. *krsch*_

The room was filled with the latest popular jingle. Its cramped conditions left little room for luxuries and so it remained quite Spartan. A bed, kitchen area and the bathroom. Shifting into a sitting position the man looked about his apartment slowly. A slither of light came through a crack in the otherwise impenetrable curtain. It revealed little about himself except for the fact that he slept fully clothed. Swivelling about his booted feet met the ground.

"Dr. Light...Does everyone in this place have some sorta stupid name..."

Slowly rising up the man made a quick meal from a glass of water, a slice of bread and some jerky. A jacket was hastily thrown on and the apartment left empty with the music still playing.

******

It was a beautiful early summer morning. The sun was shining as brightly as the sun could. Birds of all shapes and sizes were out in force, telling their songs to the world. The newly blossomed flowers beamed brightly from their buds and coloured the ground. Healthy green trees could be seen here and there. Of course humans, being what they are, mostly missed this staggering beauty and could only complain about the heat. People sat in their cars, sticking out the humid conditions with built in air conditioning. However, being stuck in gridlock was no fun. And so the noises of angry car horns drowned out the poetic song of the birds.

There was a different story at the Downtown area. Very few birds singing and those people that were present were more often than not in uniform. A few civilians were scattered about, watching the action unfold, but most had retreated to a safe distance abandoning their much loved vehicles. The trouble had started at around seven-thirty that morning, within the district bank. An intrusion into the main security area. The police had hastily secured the immediate area, moving any vehicles to give a clear shot on the building. It wasn't until they discovered that it was Dr. Light did the present lieutenant give the order to call in the Teen Titans. Until their arrival the police had to try and contain the villain. It was never an easy task...

"Look out!" some cried as another bolt ripped through yet another police cruiser. A few officers barrelled away from the car before it set alight with fire.

"Keep it up men! Open fire!"

The police answered with a volley of laser fire, the beams meeting their mark, but hopelessly dissipating upon connecting with Dr. Lights force field. The villain laughed manically as he shrugged off the attacks with little concern. Strangely he held no money or any other valuables from inside. Instead there was a rather large pack that had been hastily wired to his suit.

"Ha! You whelps cannot stop me. I control the power of light!"

With that Dr. Light manipulated the light around him and turned invisible. The police stood dumbfounded for a moment until they saw their lieutenant being hoisted into the air, dropping his sidearm as he was.

"F-fire...Ooopen fire!" he spluttered out.

Those around began firing once more, doing their best not to hit their comrade. A few of the carefully aimed shots met an unseen entity which could only have been Dr. Light.

"Bothersome curs!" with a sudden flash he appeared once more and sent a wave of light energy to the group of officers, its force tackled them down and sent some tumbling over "Give up now, and I might let you live."

And it was at this coincidental moment that their saving grace arrived. From amongst the mess of vehicles a red motorbike leapt out and sped straight on to Dr. Light, who turned with a wide grin. Now he had a real challenge to deal with. He charged both hands, ready to fire, but the red bike carried on, its rider determined to topple the villain. The motorbike kicked up into a wheelie and the rider gracefully jumped off, landing on his feet easily. With no more control the bike hurtled towards Dr. Light, who simply deflected it aside with one bolt of light. Its rider stood and took off his helmet, revealing the Boy Wonder himself. He seemed rather disinterested with the villain before him.

"Don't you ever learn?" he asked half-heartedly. The villain could only laugh.

"Always. Like improving my abilities for instance..." he shot a quick bolt. Quicker than usual. Stronger. Even dangerous.

The Boy Wonder was caught on the back heel and could only stumble away from the vicious shot. He had to admit, Dr. Light was definitely better than he had been in previous engagements. Altogether sharper. Robin spun about and threw a bird-a-rang directly into the man's hand and connected easily. _Still not that good._

"Why you little..."

"Looook oooout Belooooow!" came the sudden cry as Cyborg was dropped from Beast Boy's grip. The metal hulk shattered the ground around him. Fortunately for Dr. Light he had taken evasive action and had already dove to side. Still, having a half-ton machine come crashing down on you is a shaking experience.

So the dear doctor can't be blamed for failing to notice the flurry of green bolts coursing towards him. They each connected with devastating precision, blowing numerous fuses in the villain's suit. He returned a few of his own, but to no avail. Instantly he was beset upon once more by Cyborg and from a recently transformed Beast Boy, who came forward as a cheetah. Dr. Light quickly turned invisible again and left the two to almost run squarely into each other. Two swift steps brought him behind the metal man and two heavily charged bolts sent him barrelling to the ground with a loud thud. The changeling rushed to his team mates aid while simultaneously fending off a number of attacks from the villain. Cover soon came from both Starfire and Robin, who sent their own replies in the form of bo-staff and green bolts.

The once bumbling Dr. Light was proving to be a worthy adversary. The recent hail forced him to become visible once more, needing his manipulation powers elsewhere as he shielded himself. And then, in a swirl of dark energy, the enigmatic Raven made her entrance. Her presence was felt instantly as Dr. Light stood flabbergasted for just a moment before bravely steeling himself against his fears.

"You'll not beat me this time, witch!" he cried defiantly.

Raven lifted one hand, spoke those ever familiar words slowly and crushed the newly attached pack on Dr. Light's back. He stood in shock as his charging bolts spluttered away and his newly gained power drained out. The villain made for one last desperate attack, but was foiled by a well-timed blow from Robin's bo-staff. The villain finally slumped to the ground, battered and defeated, and quite easily too. The police slowly peaked out from their cover, before clapping in approval. A news crew had been on hand for some time and had recorded the events. Lieutenant Harris was quick to thank the young group of crime fighters before getting a chance to say "Just how great these kids are. A real gift to the city!"

Soon enough a stampede of news reporters and adoring fans had engulfed the Titans. Asking the usual questions, saying the same old things. The Boy Wonder handle most public relation issues and answered the majority of menial question. But one stuck out from the rest and hit a certain nerve.

"Excuse me! Excuse me! Karl Manson. Channel 9. Do people have anything to worry about the recent "Blue Devil" murders? Do you have any idea who this person is? Their motives. Can you tell us when and how you'll stop us."

Robin looked thoughtfully for a moment and the team passed looks between one another.

"Well," Robin started "These are very serious crimes obviously. And the first thought goes to the families of the victims'," the crowd nodded solemnly "But let me assure you that no-one should worry. We are on the case and we will find out whoever is doing this. And we will bring them to justice. Thank you."

With that, the Titans began weaving through the crowd with some assistance from the police.

******

However, even the Titans can't be in two places at once. On the other side of the city another event was unfolding. Its scene was that of a badly kept apartment. Pages of old newspapers were scattered about the place. A few notes of money here. Some drugs and alcohol there. An old and scratched table sat in front of the sofa which faced towards the lonely television. Stains of various things were to be found everywhere. The floor, table, walls, sofa and ceiling. This person obviously didn't have a very healthy life style. The room was dim, with all curtains closed and no lights on. The TV beamed out, breaking the silence and casting a dull blue light over the room. It was the news, buzzing out the latest happenings and newest stories.

The main door slowly creaked open and a single figure stepped in. They were well-built and looked hard to bring down. Their face was hidden behind a black balaclava and their hand gripped firmly around a Beretta 92, or just a regular handgun to those who weren't knowledgeable about firearms. A silencer was firmly in place and the person entered with little trouble. They scanned the room slowly and listened for any sounds of movement. There were none. Slowly, they lowered their guar and took one more step forward.

Suddenly another figure leapt out from the kitchen, crowbar in hand. They body tackled the unsuspecting intruder, and though much smaller they had put as much weight as gravity would allow behind their attack. The intruder dropped their gun, which let out a single shot upon hitting the ground. Being temporarily thrown off guard the man was subject to a painful kidney blow from the crowbar. The crowbar came again for another blow, but the intruder moved forward and wrapped his arm over the smaller man's wielding arm, thereby putting the crowbar behind him. With a quick twist and a stunning head butt the small man had dropped his weapon.

The assailant lifted him from the ground and threw the lithe man onto the nearby table, shattering its support and causing it to collapse. He was picked up instantly and punched in the face once, twice and then a third time until that definite crack was heard indicating a broken nose. The man's head spun in pain and confusion. Soon enough he was pinned against the wall and slammed once for good measure.

"L-l-look man...j-jus' take whatever ya want, 'kay? Jus' p-pu-pu-please don't ka-ku-kill me!" whimpered the junkie.

"You've got connections," growled the assailant "People who know where to go. People who know who to look for. People who know who to ask questions to. Tell me everything!"

"Pssh...hah...heh. Pff. I aven't got a clue wha' ya talkin' abo-" slammed again and punched in the gut. It felt more like being stabbed. The man coughed and spluttered "The Alley Bandits. The Alley Bandits man! Tha's the only place I get my...stuff from."

"Where are they?"

"They hang out down Kingway District, at the pool pub man. Ask for Slim Jim. He'll get ya hooked up man!"

The junkie was let go instantly and his assailant was halfway out before he could collect himself. And there it was. Just an arm stretch away. The Beretta! He slowly reached out a took hold of its cold grip. With weak legs he stood, using the wall for support. With gritted teeth and determined eyes he lifted the gun and aimed it at the unsuspecting intruder.

"You...stupid mother fucker..." the man slowly turned around "Stupid move man. Stupid! Leavin' this gun right here! You're a dead man. Ya hear me?! DEAD!"

The gun discharged a round and it flew straight and true, hitting its target. But the man hadn't even flinched. A blue ripple spread out from where the bullet hit and the projectile instantly dissipated against a previously unseen force field. The man looked darkly at the junkie, who dropped the gun in sheer horror.

"Now that...was stupid."

He slowly approached, charging a bolt of electricity as he did. The blue glow lit up the room a little more and the junkie slumped to the ground as it approached. He held up his hands in a desperate plea, but too late. With a crack of energy the bolt passed cleanly through his skull, giving the wall behind an interesting new colour. The man's eyes rolled back and arms fell limb as the mouth gapped open, still whimpering of its own accord. The body as a whole twitched slightly, but the intruder cared little. He retrieved his weapon and turned to leave, but something on the TV caught his attention.

"_And it seems that the Titans have foiled Dr. Light once more, who has now been taken into custody by the police," images of the scene played out within a box in the top right corner as the sharp dressed woman continued talking "One of our reporters got to ask some questions concerning the new 'Blue Devil' murders. Robin had this to say;_

_The Boy Wonder's face took up the entirety of the screen, with a sizeable crowd bustling about, the other Titans standing just behind._

"_Well," Robin started "These are very serious crimes obviously. And the first thought goes to the families of the victims'. But let me assure you that no-one should worry. We are on the case and we will find out whoever is doing this. And we will bring them to justice. Thank you."_

_The screen cuts back to the main presenter._

"_Looks like we'll be able to rest easy knowing that the Titans are hot on the trail of this 'Blue Devil'. If you have any information that could help, please inform the nearest police station. Channel 9 News will be right back after these commercials..."_

He hadn't expected his activities to be such big news. With all the big name criminals about he had assumed that he would just pass under the radar. The last thing he needed was a run in with the Titans, in fact he actively tried to avoid it. There was no chance of him winning in a head on encounter...

"Well," he said to himself "Guess I better get movin' quicker before they hunt me down."

With that the man left the scene of his latest work. Another name crossed from the list and a different one added. _Time to visit Slim Jim._


	3. Making Friends

Note: I cut it a bit short as to avoid having the thing sort of drag on for too long. I believe I ended it at a good place though. Feel free to leave your thoughts.

"_...It looks as if this criminal is going straight back to jail," ended the newsreader a picture of Dr. Light fading out, before being slowly replaced by an adorable Labrador puppy._

"_On a lighter note, it seems that this brave little pup got stuck up a tree. Fortunately, the Titans were just passing by and had enough time to lend a helping hand!" The picture changes to a clip of Beast Boy standing on top of Cyborg's shoulders rather unsteadily, while trying to coax the dog out. Cuts by to the wide grin of the newsreader._

"_Isn't that just great? We'll be right back, after this..."_

"_Do you need an incredible new car!"_

The sound of the television faded from their attention again as the group turned back to their separate meals. It was usually customary to go out for breakfast if there was some sort of incident during the morning. This gave everyone a chance to at least eat between crimes. Each Titan had a variety of food specifically catered to their choosing. A hustle and bustle of people in the background gave glances between each other and then to the gathered group of super-teens. The five had generally become accustomed to this sort of behaviour and could largely ignore it. A few would approach them every so often, young or old, for photos or autographs.

Just another day in the life of a Titan.

"Oh man! Did you see how I was all like _Whooosssh!_ And then you, Cyborg, you were all _PA-BOOM!_" Beast Boy made the appropriate hand gestures to accompany his rather zealous retelling of their latest outing "That washed-up villain never saw us comin'."

The changeling raised is hand in preparation for a high five, but was promptly left hanging. Cyborg continued to easily munch on his burger of choice.

"Calm down B. It was only Dr. Light," he replied in-between bites "Not like he's the greatest criminal in town."

"Anyone would think that we actually had a difficult time of beating him..." quipped Raven.

Beast Boy sat back with a disgruntled expression, arms crossed and thoroughly defeated by the dual retorts. He huffed his mouth to the side and looked the other way. But Robin became his saving grace as the Boy Wonder spoke up in his favour.

"I think what Beast Boy is trying to say is that our coordination and teamwork is improving again. I definitely saw a lot more organisation out their guys. We should be proud of that," he stated in 'matter of fact' manner, with Starfire nodding in his support.

"Uhh...yeah!" snapped Beast Boy "That's **exactly** what I was trying to tell you!"

"Man will you just-"

Robin sharply raised his hand to gain some quiet as something on the television caught his attention.

"_This just in! It seems a number shots were heard and a struggle inside The Tower Blocks in Main Avenue district has resulted in the murder of a resident. Officials arrived on the scene to find a severely beat and slightly burnt body. It has been reported that the cause of death was quite gruesome. Some are asking whether this is the latest victim of the 'Blue Devil' spree."_

_A picture of two scowling blue eyes and a wide grinning mouth appear on a black background in the top right hand corner. The words 'Blue Devil' have been placed above it._

"_The police are refusing to comment on the matter stating that it 'isn't definite', but nevertheless, people of The Tower Blocks and many around Jump City are becoming shaken by these events. This is now the fourth such murder with no indication as to who is doing these, why they are and what they intend to do next. Police Chief Maculey had this to say..."_

_A stocky man with a sharp bike handle beard and an extremely noticeable comb over stands in front of a crowd of anxious reports who struggle to get a word in. Cameras flash and microphones struggle with each other to get close as the officer speaks from his podium._

"_This matter has become a top priority of the Jump City Police Department! We are covering every angle we can and we've got the top investigators on the case. That said, we are taking calling the Teen Titans for help into consideration. It has been fully decided yet, but it definitely seems possible..."_

At this point, Robin stopped listening and stared wistfully at his meal, seemingly lost in thought. Some people started turning to the group expectantly, while those had a look about them that seemed to say "Well...?" It was a rather uncomfortable moment for the group. Each Titan looked at their leader, then to each other.

"Robin?" started Starfire "Shall we be helping the officers in the investigation?"

Everyone continued to stare at the Boy Wonder until he finally answered, without lifting his head.

"Yeah. Yeah...it's just..." he paused and looked up "We've been so busy, caught up in it all that we just...haven't had time. Haven't made time. And people have died because of that. Because of-"

"Don't you dare say it man," interrupted Cyborg "I don't even wanna hear it! We're doing all we can here. And now that we know that our help is really need...well, we'll put as much time and effort in as we can. Like always."

The mood in general was picked up by this. Even some of the bystanders nodded in agreement, support or acknowledgement. Life was hard for a hero, and everyone appreciated what such a small group of teenagers did for their entire city. Day in, day out. Non-stop. And without even ever having to ask or plead. Robin knew this, they all did. But it still somehow stung a little that they had allowed a mad man to run amok in their city without opposition. It had not gone entirely unnoticed. Indeed, the team had been keeping track of it each time, getting as much information from the police and other sources as they could.

"Well..." the Boy Wonder slowly rose to his feet "We better get moving."

Soon, their search would begin in earnest.

******

Close the door. Down the hallway, into the stairwell. Away with the balaclava, away with the gun. Rush rush rush. Descend the stairs. Through the fire exit and to his car the man went. Under stress, in pain and with haste. With a twist and a pull the car door was opened. The man leapt in and gently closed the door. He took a moment. A deep breath, a sigh and a close of his eyes. All before being rudely brought back by the winch of pain in his side.

The crowbar blow had been deathly strong. Much stronger than he had expected from a man of such short stature. He grimaced and held his kidney in vain. The pain would drag on for some time, but it was all he could do to power through it. Suddenly he snapped back to the outside world.

No time to stop. Cops will be here soon.

With a turn and a pull he ignited the car's engine. The old machine roared to life before slowly creeping down the alleyway and gradually joining the main road. He was well away from the scene in a matter of minutes.

******

"Yo Jimmy!" cried a heavy set man as he entered the pool table room "How's it goin'?!"

"'Ey Paulie!" shouted the notably slender man in reply "When'd you get back, huh?"

"Oh!" the large man grinned devilishly "They let me out jus' yesterday, right! Not 'nough evidence see. Can ya believe tha'?!"

The two laughed heartily together and a new round of drinks was called in for everyone, much to the satisfaction of those present. Each person wore clothing than one would expect from those lower members of the underground world. Leathers, denim, studs and chains, the usual attire. The building itself was musky at best, smoke filled and the stench of beer heavy in the air. It could even generate its own sort of cigarette fog on especially busy nights.

Jim led Paulie off to the side, handing his cue over to someone nearby as he did so. Soon enough the drinks were being passed around again and everyone retuned to their regular conversations. The two old friends sat at one of the small tables and toasted to each other's health.

"Wha' ya get taken for this time Paulie?"

"Oh...the usual stuff. Break 'n enterin', robbery, assualt, all tha' crap. 'Course, wouldn'a got caught in the first damn place if that hot head Fin could keep his damn mouth shut!"

"Yeah? How'd he end up?"

"Well...we won' be seein' him for a while, tha's for sure!" The two exchanged another long laugh. "How 'bout you Jimmy? Business goin' smooth yeah?"

"Usual stuff. Old Mob's givin' us trouble, Columbians puttin' the press on 'nd a puncha would be gangs lookto make a name. 'Cept all that, life is good! We got this whole district down man. This is Bandit Land!"

This outburst was met by a rapture of hoots, whistles and howls in response. The Bandits were firmly in control and they knew it. Their mood was increased further due to a recent and successful raid upon the last remaining major rival gang in the area. Even the police were becoming too scared to go at them in force.

"The boys and gals are in a good mood see? We're rule this pla-"

"What'sa matter Jim?"

The gangster nodded his head towards the door , pointing out the new arrival. It wasn't any of the gang, or even a regular at the bar. They wore a dark grey baseball cap, a pair of reflector sunglasses and regular scruffy clothes. Dark green shirt with a white t-shirt underneath, torn pale blue jeans and a pair of black leather gloves. Their face was mostly covered, but Jim was sharp and could see the well defined features and slightly hooked nose. The man also possessed a rather well-kept beard. They were drawing a few scornful looks from the other members.

"Someone ya know?" Paulie asked as he turned away.

"Nah. This one's new..." he replied, still watching the man as he approached the bar.

"Reckon he's here to do some wheelin'?"

"Who knows," the man leant over and exchanged a few words before looking over to where Jim was sitting. He gave a nod and slowly approached. "'Ere we go," sighed the gangster.

Now that he had come closer Jim noticed that the man was significantly taller than himself, though was still two or so inches short of Paulie. He also looked as if he could give Paulie some trouble in a straight up bar brawl. He couldn't know for sure, but Jim felt as if the guy was sizing both him and Paulie from behind his glasses.

He ain't seriously 'ere for trouble is he?

"You Jim?" he asked plainly.

"My friends call me Jim. Close associates say Slim Jim. But you...you call me Mr. Slim, clear?"

"Oh...yeah. Sorry man. Didn't mean to be steppin' on your toes or nothing'," the man replied rather apologetically.

"'Ey 'ey, forgive 'n forget, right Jim?"

"Yeah, yeah! Sure. C'mon. Sit'own kid. Wha's your business?"

"Well, uhh..." the man shifted uncomfortably in his place "Ain't there some room we can go to?"

"Why? You ain't wired are ya? Cops ain't following' you are they?"

"W-What?! No I-...I'd never. I mean...I ju-"

The two gangsters exchanged looks, at first appearing rather grim but gradually working a smile onto their faces and then bursting out laughing. Paulie even went so far as to slam the table with his fist a number of times. Jim slowed his laughing, whipping a non-existent tear from his eye.

"Oh man! The look on your face kid! Oh ma-haha...hahaha!"

The young man stood dumbfounded for a few moments before a nervous smile slowly reached his lips and he joined in with the laughter. He waited until the two men had stopped laughing before doing so himself, trailing off into a chuckle.

"C'mon kid, follow me. We talk business in the back. You be my doorman Paulie?"

"Sure thing."

Both men slowly got their feet and started walking away from the table and towards a single metal door. Jim slowly opened it and entered, while Paulie stopped outside and turned about. He sharply indicated for the young man to enter. They did so in quick fashion. The door was shut and the two men were left to their own devices. It was a relatively small room, just about big enough for the desk, two chairs and a filing cabinet. Of course, as could be expected, the cabinet was full of stacks of money or an assortment of illegal goods instead of any real paper work. Jim took a seat behind the desk and leant back slightly, clearing some of the waste that lay upon it with his feet. He gestured for the man to sit. He did so.

"So...wha' can I be doin' for you taday...uhh..."

"Oh. Hanson. Mark Hanson!"

"Mark. Right, right."

"Well...erm...I'm hear from my friend Charlie. You know Charlie right?" Jim nodded "Yeah. Well. Thing is see, he seems to have got it into his head tha' he's bein' followed by someone. Doesn' wanna leave the house, right? Sends me 'ere, to pick up his stuff!"

"Huh," the man scoffed slightly "That good for nothing' junkie sent ya? Needs his fix right?"

"Big time. Says he wants big pounds this time. 'Nough to last him months he said."

"Months?!" the gangster yelped in shock "I don' think we even got tha' kinda amount 'ere man! Would 'ave at go to our warehouse..." he thought for a moment and brought his feet back onto the ground. He leant on the desk and stared at the man "What ya say your name was?"

"Mark Han-"

"Hanson...right. Good friends with ol' Charlie?"

"We go pretty far back."

"Ya don't say? See, me an' him...we go way back. And kid...I ain't never fuckin' heard wind of ya."

"Well...I...umm..."

"Tha's a pretty nicely done beard ya got there kid..."

The young man finally caved in and sighed. His shoulders fell limb for a moment before he lifted them back up, grabbing onto the hairs of his beard and to the middle of his glasses. Slowly he removed both his glasses and the fake beard to reveal a pair of dark green eyes and some messy stubble. He let the two pieces drop while staring directly at Jim, a hard set expression upon his face.

"Speak now an' speak fast, 'cause you got about'-"

"Three seconds," interrupted the man as he produced a Beretta 92, with silencer attached. He aimed it directly at Jim's head "Before I put your brains onto that wall. We clear?"

"You must be fuckin' insane. I got me a whole army of boys who'd rip ya at fuckin' peaces!"

"You been watchin' the news lately Jim?" the man asked rhetorically, placing his free hand on the desk, palm side up "Heard stories of the scary Blue Devil?"

The man didn't even wait for an answer as he suddenly charged up a bolt, the electricity ripping through the leather gloves in places. The longer it stayed and flickered, the more of the leather glove it destroyed. A grim look had over taken the man's face, while Jim's was a painting of horror. He stared wide-eyed directly into the blue light, semi-mesmerized by its glow.

"You call out. You sayin' anything, you're dead. And I'd probably kill a few of the ladies and gentlemen out there before I leave too. Now you hear things Jim. Lots of things. See plenty too. You know enough to know what I'm looking for. And you're going to tell me how to find it, because Jim...you're life depends on it."

"Yeah man...yeah. I caught a word of wha' you was looking' for. Thought you was crazy then. Think ya crazy now. Ya realise you got a whole army of guys to go through right? And that ain't including' the powered muscle. Can't say I can see ya winning."

"But Jim...you're going to help me win."

"Why the fu-"

The man's hand let the bolt disappear before shooting his arm out with lightning speed. Before he could do anything, Jim found the back of his head in a tight grasp and then watched on as his face went crashing down into the desk. A gun was pressed against his head and there was a sharp knock on the door.

"'Ey! Everythin' okay with you two in there?"

Jim's assailant bent down close to his face.

"Tell him everything's fine," he growled.

"Y-yeah! Fuck off ya idiot. We're...tryin' ta do business in 'ere!"

There came no more queries from outside the door. The man continued his interrogation.

"Now Jim...we're friends aren't we?" he asked mockingly "Aren't we?!" he snapped, pressing Jim's face against the desk harder.

"Yes! Yes!" answered the desperate man.

"And you know what friends do, don't you Jim? They help each other out. With this, with that, with everything. And being the good friends that we are, you're going to help me out. You do owe me a favour after all," Jim looked at him with a confused expression "For not killing you. Now. Names Jim. Who? Where? When? _Now!_"


	4. On the Case

Note: So I finally found out what AU stands for, and now feel appropriately silly for not knowing. Though really, it's not knowledge that you're born with. It could have meant Angry User for all I knew! Anyway. On with the story.

"_And that seems to be all the-...wait a minute...it seems as if Robin, leader of the Teen Titans, and Starfire have arrived at the police station. Yes! I can confirm that they are here right now. Excuse me! Excuse me! Robin! Are you here to offer you help to the police in the recent 'Blue Devil' case?"_

"_We're here to see what can be done. Some of our other team mates have already gone to the current crime scene."_

"_There you have it. The Teen Titans are here to help. Back to you Janette!"_

The car stereo was clicked off by its driver, who made a rather disgruntled sound as he did so. Jason stared out solemnly from the car, barely concentrating on what was in front. Finally he let out a sigh.

"Shit..."

Things were going to get much more difficult.

******

The Boy Wonder wrestled his way for the crowd of reporters that seem to beset him wherever he went, with Starfire in tow, seemingly blissfully unaware of the annoyance of reporters. After the two Titans had finally bested the crowd they approached the station's front desk. The building looked new and clean-cut, as did most of Jump City. Officers in well pressed, sharp uniforms went to and thro, attending to their own business. A husky man at the desk gave them a rather disinterested look.

"Here to see the Chief?" he asked plainly.

"Yeah...is he..."

"Corridor to the left. Take the elevator up to floor three. Turn right, fifth door along that corridor."

Robin simply nodded and the two went on their way. Following the directions exactly, the Titans came upon the office in good timing. With a sharp rap on the door, they were indicated to come in. Chief Maculey was sitting at his desk, appearing rather flustered. Another officer sat opposite, looking rather dour. He turned and looked at the teenagers with a glare. Maculey massaged his temples and gave a sigh.

"That's all Harris," he said to the man, who immediately stood and left without a word "Please, take a seat."

"He did not seemed pleased to see us," said Starfire, who had taken a seat.

"That was Detective Harris. He's against bringing in you guys to help with this. Says he wants to prove that the police can handle things alone. But I don't take much notice. He isn't exactly your biggest fan."

"Well...we'll always do our best to help," Robin said sharply.

"I know. So does most of the city. But there's just a few...ah well, this isn't the time for that," the man stood and walked over to a filing cabinet before searching through it and producing a neatly organised file. Placing it down on the table he slid it towards the Titans.

Robin picked it up and started slowly looking through it. It detailed everything that had been found about the 'Blue Devil'. What was definitely missing was a profile picture of any potential suspects.

"So far we've only been able to rule out the regulars around here. Only one that we could link to the high charges of electricity was Overload, but he is most definitely contained. No evidence suggests it is one of the other regular villains. We're pretty much stumped. What we _do_ know is that this is not an isolated incident. Little place out of the way called Side Town was where this started we reckon. They report that a large number of criminals had gone missing or had turned up dead. And what do ya know? It stopped a few weeks ago..."

"Let me guess. Around the same time it started here?"

"Bingo. And these weren't just your regular street thugs. This guy was tearing down whole gangs and organisations one at a time. They were all well-connected, well-protected and sometimes well-thought of people. The types that you might even find it hard to bring down. Of course, they weren't aiming to bring these guys in or anything. Seems like they just got what they wanted then knocked them off."

"Any connections? Patterns?"

"Except for gunning down just criminals no. We've put it down to vigilantism gone too far. And that whoever they are, they're good at going below the radar. This isn't your regular guy who spouts monologues or anything. Hell, we haven't even had any reported sightings of the guy! One other thing. They're strong. Second victim? Danny Glover. Typical hitman, extortionist, and body builder. Man was built like a wall. Evidence points to a close up struggle. Unbelievable."

"They have no weapons then?" asked Starfire.

"Well, they do. Just seem that they don't make much use of them. Most recent one, today, had two discharged 9x19mm Parabellum cartridges, indicating that they have a Beretta 92 Series. We reckon either the 92SB-F or 92FS. Both are pretty common. Not a far stretch for even a street gang to get hold of one. Very first case also had another incident with the same gun. Jack Taylor. Shot at the knee joint. To stop him from running I guess."

"Who's the gun registered under?" queried the Boy Wonder.

"Not a clue. We'd have to get the gun itself to know for sure."

"Can we get a copy of this file?"

Already got one waiting for you down at the front desk. But...I'm afraid that's all we know. We've picked up hair samples and everything, but they're completely off the grid. Hopefully you guys can turn up something that we missed."

"Do not worry. We shall prevent any more people getting harmed," stated Starfire in assurance, though it gave little respite to the over-worked Maculey, who could not even work up a smile. The two Titans first left the office after exchanging a few more words. Picking up the files from the front, they then left the building. Quickly, they hurried through the awaiting crowd and started on their way to the others, who had been investigating the most recent murder scene.

******

After passing through the numerous police cordons and barriers, the three Titans came outside the door to the apartment. A number of forensic officers, regular officers and the odd detective bustled about the area, doing their own jobs. Cyborg slowly opened the door, but it connected with something on the other side.

"Hey! Goddamn it Sam. I to-..." the rather aggravated forensic officer swung the door open and instantly stopped mid-sentence as she saw who was standing there. The woman quickly spun about and called for one Detective Weller. A spindly set man approached the three Titans. His features were sharp and well-defined with a tired, but somehow friendly expression. Auburn hair was swept back and neatly organised. He gave the three a faint smile.

"Come on in. Watch your step. Forensics are all over the place now," he stood aside and allowed them to step in.

They were greeted to the typical scene of such an investigation. The already cramped living conditions was further highlighted by the amount of people present. Numbered pieces of card lay scattered about here and there, pointing out any places of interest in the room. Camera flashes went and momentarily lit the room, like a fleeting lightning storm. It took some time to adjust the eyes to the lapsing spurts of light. People in crisp clean white suits, wearing tight white gloves meticulously searched the entire apartment, pouring over every single minute detail. Any stain of blood, strand of hair or discarded skin cell would be found by these men and women. Already they had been working for a good few hours. Weller led the three teenagers over to the central piece of the show. A body lay slumped up against the wall, a streak of thick blood following it down. It was entirely normal save for the gaping hole that passed clean through the skull. They weren't exactly accustomed to seeing dead bodies, and so the sight proved rather difficult for the teenagers. Beast Boy very nearly lost his lunch upon first seeing the body. The smell did nothing to help.

"Right. What we have here is..." Weller flipped through some papers he had picked up "A one Charles David Karner. Aged twenty-seven. Arrested on several accounts of possession, arson, assault, car theft, robbery and public disorder. Addicted to the worst kinds of things for the best part of nine years. No immediate family or relatives. A regular scumbag. Known to get his stashes from the various street gangs around the city."

"He have many enemies?" inquired Cyborg bluntly, seemingly least unnerved of the three.

"Too many to list. But we doubt it was any of them. Charlie was just a small time addict, never did any real harm to any of the gangs. Whoever did it though, came in through the door with no signs of forced entry. We found an iron crowbar just over there, with Charlie's prints all over it. As you can see, this table has been collapsed and this a great big crack in the wall where the guy was slammed. Numerous signs of blows to the face and body. Not just a bunch of love taps neither. Each bunch broke one bone or another. Wasn't a fast or easy death. Two discharged bullets were found as well, but no wounds to match on the body and no blood samples except for Charlie's, so we assume the gun was just let off accidentally during the struggle. We've checked all video footage of the building, but apparently there was conveniently a power failure about the same time this happened. We ruled out any possibility of someone helping from the inside, so the murderer must have done it themselves. And lastly, the killing blow itself. This is the real money maker..."

The detective placed a pair of gloves over his hands and knelt down next to the body, he indicated to the rather obvious hole and drew a circle around it with his finger.

"We've never seen anything like this. Very cleanly done. A perfect circle, and it cut a perfect hole. Only what was hit got blasted out. The rest of the brain is entirely intact," it was rather distracting for the Titans to be looking at the officer while he knelt by the body, it's eyes still wide open and jaw dropped.

"He was standing when he died, and definitely saw it coming. What we have found is evidence of the gun being fired by Charlie. Now, as you can tell this room isn't all that big. So...the murderer couldn't have been standing that far away. Charlie was practically shooting at point blank. Even in his state it's unlikely that he would have missed. But...there's no blood from anyone else."

"What do you think happened?" asked Raven, who had until then been taking more interest in the surroundings than what Weller was saying.

"No idea," sighed Weller as he stood back up and took the gloves off "But we've got high levels of electricity being thrown about, with some of the dispersed energy still hanging about."

"Electrical powers...Overload?"

"Can't be. We've got it safely locked up. No, this is someone...something else."

"Thanks Weller," started Cyborg "Mind if we take a look around for ourselves."

"Sure. Just try not to step on anything the forensic guys might be using. They get a little edgy when people start getting in their way," he warned "I'll not be far if you need anything else."

"Alright. Raven, see what you can turn up with your powers, whatever you think is interesting. I'm going to take in some readings and scan the apartment for anything unusual. B, I need you to try and track a scent of this guy..."

"I don't know if I'll be able to get anything over the stench of..." he looked sideways at the body.

"It'll be tough, I know, but you've gotta try. If we can get just one piece we'll be one step closer to stopping all this."

The Titans set about their given tasks. Cyborg deployed the scanners on his arm and started to take in readings of all varieties. Raven started on her meditation and concentrated to focus her powers, to see if she could gleam anything from the energies that remained. And Beast Boy instantly changed into a bloodhound dog and started on the thankless task of finding a trail.

It was Raven who first stumbled upon her intended target. After the necessary meditation she approached the body and instantly a sense of utter dread washed over her. Forcing it aside, she went on and knelt by the body, which now gave out despair, terror and confusion all at once. Her mind was instantly bombarded with a plethora of images, all surrounding the last few minutes of the man's life.

_Another drag from the narcotic, and a relaxing exhale. Sudden, attentive fear. Approaching steps. Hiding for his life. Hiding in the dark. The door opens! The dread is overbearing. 'I don't want to die!' Last minute barters with God to spare him. A shadow entered the room. It brought with it an emptiness that sent chills down his spine. It looked as black as the void of space. Not face. No features. Nothing. Not even a hint of feeling. He steeled himself. 'Kill or be killed.' A last desperate thought. Frantic movement followed. Screams of anguish. Yelps of horror. Broken arm, through the table, against the wall. One blow after another. Then it stopped. The shadow was leaving. Almost gone. An object stood out from the dim surroundings. Its metal case crystal clear amongst the blurred images. Flash. Bang. The gun went. The bullet hit. Nothing. No reaction from the shadow. It turned slowly. The apprehension was heightened, a great sense of what was surely to come. A blue orb formed from the shadow, as if a beacon of light. It cascaded forward, leaving a swirl behind it._

Raven snapped out from her trance, a headache now accompanying her. Using such a power was always difficult. Gleaning information from those who have passed. From what little consciousness they leave behind. It had seemed to her as if she had witnessed the entire unfolding, though only a few seconds had actually passed. Her head span and she needed to rest. Standing up unsteadily she went in search of Cyborg and found him easily enough, in the kitchen.

"Find anything?" she inquired.

"Like nothing I've seen before," he answered pensively "The charges? All this electrical residue. It's...I don't know, but it isn't electricity. Very close, but not quite. Seems to be stronger somehow. More potent. Overload definitely couldn't do this. And the scans. Whatever this guy has touched, they've left a mark. I don't know if it's on purpose, but whenever the computer shows a higher reading it's usually something the guy has probably touched. The door handle, crowbar. Heck, even the guy's neck. Electrical marks everywhere."

The half-machine let out a bewildered sigh and closed the scanner. It had already picked up everything there was to find out about.

"What about you? Turn up anything?"

"Not really..." Raven turned and looked back into the living room "They're definitely a human but..." she seemed to hesitate "Wherever a person goes they leave a trail of conscious, emotions, feelings, thoughts, whatever you want to call it. But they...there was nothing Cyborg. This person didn't feel anything. No pain, no fear, no sympathy, no remorse. They were just a void."

"What happens to make someone like that? How could it even be possible?"

"I don't know."

"Then how can you be sure that it was human?"

"There was one thing. Not a feeling as such. More like a sense of confusion. I can only describe it as they knew that they should be _feeling_ something, but that they weren't. And they didn't seem to understand why."

The two were interrupted by the appearance of a green bloodhound, which piped up to gain their attention. Once they had both turned to face him, Beast Boy changed back into his normal form, with a rather disgruntled expression on his face.

"Picked up a scent. Hard to miss though! Smelt like the guy hadn't showed in days," the group walked out into the corridor at Beast Boy's indication "Tracked it as far as outside, down the fire escape and into some alley. There was some tire tracks left there too, but that's where the scent ended."

"So we got an electrical charged emotionless maniac with a car and a major chip on their shoulder," interrupted Weller, who could not help but over hear their conversation "Seems like we'll have our hands full for a while."

"Yeah. We'll do what we can though. Thanks for the help Weller," replied Cyborg.

"Should be me thanking you. I doubt that we can solve this whole thing without the help of your team. Keep in touch. If we turn up anything on our end, you guys will be the first to know."

"Thanks again man," ended Cyborg. After two short goodbyes from the other Titans, the group left the building and headed back to the T-Car. They had arranged to rendezvous with Robin and Starfire back at the tower before they continued the investigation. The bright Sun was gone now, hidden by a wall of dull grey clouds which cast a gloomy shadow over the entire city.

******

Getting home was slow going. With the afternoon commute back home for most people and the added factor of having an entire police department on full alert would make any journey quite arduous. Especially when they were looking for you. But he managed the trek anyway, which spanned across half the city. The housing that had been provided for him was quite humour sly located with the Titan's own tower in sight. This was uncomfortable for Jason, but he was sure that there was a good reason for it.

With the car parked and safely locked up in the garage, Jason took out his bag of equipment from the boot before locking that also. Heading upstairs he systematically opened the door, dropped his bag which rattled as metal hit metal, and then locked the door. He sombrely made his way to the bathroom and turned on the shower. He took off the heavy boots from his feet and then slowly removed the gloves. It made the usual mechanical sounds of locks being opened and restrictions being removed. Then the final sound of numerous blades being retracted. And that, was the most painful thing he had felt yet.

For more than a year he had been staggering around in darkness. Not knowing who he was. Who he was _meant_ to be. And now that he was so close...he felt something akin to anticipation, but was blissfully unaware of the feeling. Or indeed, how he should react to it. He removed the metallic gloves to reveal a pair of heavily scared, and severely burnt hands. It had always perplexed him, the reason for his hands remaining scared. All other wounds had been easily brushed aside by the capabilities of his gloves. But never his hands. He watched as trickles of blood ran from each finger and thumb, where the spikes had been. Dropping his arms to each side, Jason stepped into the shower, with clothes still on, and embraced the ice cold water that washed over him. And in an instant, the world's troubles were washed away, just as they had been on his first day alive. It always seemed that everything could be washed away, no matter what he did, that there was always a chance to be rid of the troubles that haunted him. So close now. To being a human. A person. To being alive again. He wondered how it felt.

But for it all, he was not sad. There was no sorrow in his mind. Just a struggle to make sense of everything. He encountered emotions and feelings almost daily. Saw them in other people. He had come to recognise most of them. Happiness, anger, fear, hate, sadness. But how it feels like to experience them was still beyond him. Something would rise through his body, and he would wonder what it was supposed to be. It could be anything. It was the criminals who taught him most of the emotions he had seen. It all came to the front when they were faced with death. Sometimes he tried to imagine himself in their place, had their positions been reversed. But it produced little.

After a good few minutes of contemplation and of rest, Jason turned off the shower and stepped back out, soaking wet. He looked himself in the mirror and could not decided what sort of person he should be. The water had washed away most of the hair dye to reveal his true black hair. And the green contacts would no longer rest in place comfortably, so they were removed to show his grey eyes. This was the only time that he really thought about these things, and the time for such fanciful thinking was over. His expression flashed back to one of mild disinterest in everything. There was still much that he needed to do. A quick change of clothes, a light snack from the fridge and a ruffle of the hair. Before eventually he got ready to put the gloves back on.

He lifted them carefully, as if they were precious gems. Checking the cartridge on each, he found that both had just under half left in them, which would be more than enough for the next few days. Jim had given him a reliable tip off about where to go next. But he would have to wait for two days yet, and this was his only lad to follow. For the first time in a long time, Jason was truly stumped about what to do. It had been an extremely long while since he had any "free time."

Shrugging the thought away, he placed one glove on and then the other. Holding each hand out in front of him he got ready. They each started to make a slight whirring sound, like that of a computer booting up. After a few seconds the sound of spikes passing through flesh went out and he just about bit back the screams of pain, but could not prevent himself from keeling over. The momentary lash of pain subsided and his senses gathered themselves back again. Standing to his feet, Jason looked about his dim apartment before sitting back on the bed, listening to whatever was on the radio.

Note: Much to my shame he got a bit..."emo" there towards the end didn't he? Hopefully it won't have too much of a damaging effect.

Thanks for taking the time to read!


	5. Gathering Evidence

Note: Any idea why every time I upload a document all the writing is bold and underlined? Because it's a mystery to me. Anyway, hope you enjoy this chapter. Thanks for reading.

"_No, no, no damn it! You've got it all wrong," interrupted a rather flustered looking officer "This person is nothing more than a psychopath looking for self-satisfaction and a twisted sense of pleasure!"_

"_Oh, and I suppose you've met them?" quipped a slick looking woman, her greying hair neatly tucked and her eyes peering from behind a set of glasses "How can you tell what this person wants without first trying to understand them? There is clearly a deep, psychological reason for this. Why just criminals? Was their family murdered? Did they grow up with criminals and learn to hate them? Or is this just misguided justice? You cannot so simply judge a person."_

"_What I can judge is what they have done! And what they have done leaves little room for any sort of excuse."_

"_All that matters is that they are a danger to our city," started a young politician, he's eyes tired from recent stress "When they are taken from our streets, then we can discuss their reasoning, if there is any to be found."_

******

Another day was gradually drawing to a close, with most people already at their homes, watching the latest news or TV show. The Blue Devil dominated most of the news channels, nearing Slade's constant occupation of the headlines. Debates between know-it-all psychologists, determined officers, concerned politicians and various other notable people were held often. Their goal, to discuss who the Blue Devil is, their motives, their next target, everything. The surprising part was that people actually took interest in this mostly inaccurate drivel. The inner psyche of a madman would not be so easily solved. Least of all by the pretenders that were constantly appearing on television.

While they bumbled and duelled with words, Jump City PD and the Titans had been hard at work, hot on the trail of this new villain. Having divulged what information they, the team had regrouped at their ever famous tower. Robin and Starfire had been the first to arrive, immediately uploading the files that they had received from the police department onto the tower's main computer its information engulfing the entire screen. By the times the others got there Robin was well on his way through it, with Starfire assisting as much as she could. He barely even turned to greet the others and simply spoke to them from over his shoulder.

"What have you turned up?"

"Plenty," replied Cyborg as he walked up next to the Boy Wonder, glancing over the screen himself "You get this from the Chief?"

"Its got everything that they know, but what they know isn't nearly enough. We do know that this isn't an isolated incident though. Similar murders were happening in a place called Side Town up to around a year ago. Same story. Only corrupt people or criminals. They put it down to vigilantism, but, I don't know...this seems to extreme for just that. I mean, coming into a city where a group of super-heroes _live_? Only someone with a goal would do that. There's a reason for them being here, for doing all this, it's just...I have no idea what it could be."

"Makes sense though. You gotta have some guts to turn up in our city and start causing this kinda trouble," affirmed Beast Boy "Think they're gunning for us?"

"Nah. If they were going to do that then they wouldn't be wasting their time on small time thugs. Probably lookin' for something else. We just happen to be an added inconvenience for them."

"Perhaps they are doing it to try and...fool us? 'Draw us out'?" queried Starfire "It is not impossible that they wish to do battle with us."

"We'll keep that open as a possibility," the Boy Wonder stated "But for now, I'd like to know what you three found out."

"Probably not as much as you're hoping for," started the half-man "Picked up massive electrical like readings all around the place. Except it wasn't exactly electricity, just something very close to it. Like I said to Raven before, it's more potent, stronger. I'll have to look into it more to find out exactly what it is, but it does rule out the possibility of Overload being responsible for any of this. It just isn't capable. B tried to track them," he said, motioning to the changeling, who gave a weary grin "But he could only go so far as the alley next to the building. Found out that they've got wheels though. Not sure what type of car it is, but it's nice to know."

"What about witnesses? Video evidence?"

"Funny thing happened around that time. Power cut in just that building. Fused out all the lights and cameras. Can't explain the lack of witnesses though. Detective said that people around that area usually keep themselves to themselves, and that they weren't all to unused to the victim causing a riot. They just thought it was business as usual."

"Right," Robin said thoughtfully, trying to piece together what he had been told so far "And Raven? You manage to figure anything out?"

"Nothing...solid. I didn't really see anything so much as feel it. This person, the murderer, seemed to be void of any emotions during the time that they were there. Not even afraid of what they were doing. I can only see them as a sort of empty mass moving around. Like when a black hole moves in front of light. I've never come across someone like that before. Not someone that was completely empty of any feelings."

"You are sure that this 'Blue Devil' is human?"

"Positive. They still had thoughts. They still physically reacted like a normal person. And whoever they are, they've got something that can stop bullets. A power. I don't know."

The group stood in silent contemplation for a moment. Beast Boy moved onto the sofa, a little too tired for any hard thinking. Deduction wasn't his forte, while Robin excelled at it. Yet even he struggled to solve this puzzle. It was going to take a lot more work. Cyborg still standing at the Boy Wonder's side thought over hat substance the energy might be and how it could have been created. But he could have sworn he'd encountered it before. Starfire looked pass the computer screen and out onto the city, trying to make sense of things in her own head. The concept of an emotionless being to such an emotionally driven mind was difficult to imagine. She couldn't even think of how things might be if she were like them. Raven stood a little away from the group, also struggling with the idea of such a person. She had to keep her emotions at bay, but even then she knew what it was like.

The uncomfortable silence was finally broken when Robin sighed heavily, slouching his shoulders as he did so.

"I just can't figure them out..." he admitted "We've got to compile a list of potential targets that this person might go for next. Or even where they'll be moving to. Anything."

"You think they'll try hitting one of the more big time criminals next?" asked Cyborg.

"It's possible. Someone with lots of connections. We'll have to double our efforts in keeping tabs on the regulars. They might not be the greatest people, but I don't want anyone else turning up dead."

Cyborg suddenly went wide-eyed as he hit an epiphany that had previously alluded his mind. It seemed so obvious now that he had remembered and felt slightly flustered that it hadn't been struck upon before.

"That's it!" he shouted, much to the surprise of the others "I knew I had seen this stuff before," he continued, nudging Robin away from the control pad "This energy. This heightened electricity? We've come across it before! I'd been trying to remember it back at the apartment."

He continued typing frantically before finally bringing up a page that described a break-in at the FISCO Technology and Mechanics Laboratory Headquarters. A newly created energy cell was stolen that night by someone who was assisted by heavily armed helicopter troops. It also told of how the Titans had tried, and failed, to prevent their escape. Cyborg turned to face the group.

"The same type of energy was found there, over a year ago now. We tried following up, but the guy just never showed again. This could be the same person! I can't believe it took me this long to remember."

"I don't know Cy..." Robin said slowly "It's possible, but they were just some thief. They went out of their way to make sure no-one got hurt. But this other person is killing anyone who gets in their way."

"Besides, they had emotions as well. I could tell. The guy who robbed FISCO, he was scared. Afraid of facing us. Determined to get away. They would feel remorse after having killed people."

"Still, it's a possible connection, and we need as many as we can get. You think you can follow up on that lead Cyborg?"

"I'll get on the line to the guys down at FISCO and see if they'll give me access a-sap."

"Great," agreed the Boy Wonder "I'm going to give the police department in Side-Town a call, see if they can help with anything. Beast Boy, Raven, Starfire. I need you all to spread out over the town and start questioning the local gangs. Anyone who might know something about anything. Someone out there has to know about this person, and we're going to find them!"

"Awesome. Great. Now, I'm going to bed before I collapse on the sofa. Thing gives me a back ache every time I fall asleep on it. Catch ya in the morning."

The rest of the group agreed that it was time to head for bed and get a good night's rest, there was lots to be done in the morning. Robin, however, stayed at the computer console, looking intensively at the screen. Starfire turned back and approached the over worked hero.

"You shall be sleeping also?"

"Yeah Star. I'm just going to look over a few more things. But I'll probably be gone by the time you wake up and hopefully on my way to Side-Town."

When Starfire had been assured that Robin would get some much needed rest, she left him to his own devices. After taking some final looks over the gathered files, Robin powered down the computer and picked up the nearby phone, quickly punching a number in. The tone rang sharply before the phone clicked and it was answered.

"Detective Richard S. Johnson of the Side-Town Police Department. How can I help you?" said the rather rough and tired voice, as if they had just been shaken from their sleep.

"Detective Johnson. Robin from Jump City. Leader of th-"

"Teen Titans. Christ. It must be something' big if you've come a callin'. What's the problem hero?"

"Well, it says on a file that the local department gave me that you were involved extensively with the investigation into the Blue Devil incidents?"

"Yeah yeah. Nasty stuff that. We heard he'd moved on to your place. Can't say we envy you. Already given your PD everything we had. Even sent some of our boys over to help."

"Yes, I understand. But I was wondering if you'd allow me to come there myself? Check some things out. Look over everything first hand and maybe get some questions answered face-to-face."

"Well...sure kid. But I can't see what help it'll be. Feel free though. I'll let the higher ups know that you're coming. Be careful though. You comin' here might stir up a ruckus with the criminal element of this place. And we've already got a whole buncha stuff to deal with."

"I understand. I'll do my best to lay low. Thank you Detective."

******

Morning always came far too quickly for Beast Boy's liking. The same high pitched alarm cut through the air and reached his ears, which were quickly covered by his hands in an attempt to stop the bothersome sounds. But to no avail. The Titan resigned himself to the fact that he would actually have to get up to stop the alarm. He did so grudgingly, before getting washed and dressed. Finally leaving his room, the changeling headed for the main lounge, finding both Starfire and Raven already awaiting him.

"Mornin' laidies," he said in a gleeful manner "What's for breakfast? Something tasty?"

"You missed it," replied Raven bluntly, much to the disappointment of Beast Boy's stomach, which growled impatiently "We have to go now. Just grab some snack and lets leave."

"Where's Cy and Robin?"

"Cyborg left not ten minutes ago," said Starfire "Robin was gone before anyone else was awake. He has set off to this town on the side."

"Right. And now we have to go too," mentioned Raven, impatiently "Beast Boy, you'll be looking around the North side. Star, you take the East. I'll head to the South. We'll check the West after we're finished with the rest."

Without another word, Raven's body quickly faded into the shape of a black bird and she was gone, leaving the other two to their own devices. Beast Boy looked to Starfire for some solace, but found none. His hunger would have to go unattended for now. The two left Titan's tower together and then each went their separate ways. Getting criminals to talk at anytime was difficult enough. Add the threat of them possibly being murdered for talking and the task became so arduous as to be near impossible for even the best interrogator. But try they must, and so the three teenagers began their search of the city, in a ploy to try and find something out.

Starfire had been entrusted with the eastern part of town, which covered the Way's Park, East-Town and Finnegan Avenue districts. This was a generally quieter area of the city, especially as it reached out to the peaceful suburbs of East-Town, where a good number of families and retired persons lived. But even in places like these there was an underlying level of crime and corruption. Here resided the organised crime group known as the Californian Mafia. And here was their western branch of operations. Hey were responsible for all types of deals, all variety of crimes and every violation imaginable. But their top men could never be found to have been directly involved. The leader of this branch was one Horatio Fabrizio DiMarco Corelleon, other wise known as 'Johnny Razor.'

The large built stocky mobster was enjoying the bright morning for as long as he could, by the side of his own personal swimming pool. His grey hair was neatly slicked back and a finely rolled cigar hung out from his mouth, each slow drag bringing a fresh release. It was on such a calm and relaxing day that the last thing he had expected to happen was for an alien to land down by his side, eyes aglow and fists at the ready. But it just so happens that that very thing happened. Slowly, Horatio lowered his sunglasses before being hoisted to his feet.

"And to what, do I owe this pleasant visit young lady?" he asked in a typically smooth mobster voice.

"I am searching for the one that they call 'Blue Devil.' You have heard of them, yes?"

"How couldn't I? I'm a man that keeps up wit' tha news. But you's looking' in the wrong place doll. They ain't been causin' any ruckus up our streets. We'd know about it. He'd have been dealt wit' by now, see? It's the boys down south that he's been givin' stick to. Raisin' all kinds 'a hell."

"How do you know that it is a he? Have you met with them?"

"Nah nah. A man just catches word of these sorta things, ya know? Beneficial for us to know as much as we can. But he ain't been this way yet, I swear."

"There must be information that you know of!"

"W-well..." he started nervously "All I know is that he ain't just some random vigi-lan-te like them news readers reckon. Guys got goals. They're looking' for something'. But don't bother askin' what, 'cause I ain't got a clue."

The Titan released her grip on the man's scruff and went up to the sky, leaving the mobster in his own thoughts. The man straightened his dressing gown and returned to his relaxing deck chair, grumbling of how heroes think they can go wherever they want. In the mean time, Starfire had produced her communicator and contacted Beast Boy.

"Hey Star," replied the less than chirpy changeling "What's up?"

"I have found that this devil in blue is indeed a man, and that he is not just being extremely vigil. Though I could not discover his true goal. What of you? Have you found anything interesting?"

"Not much. The local street level gangs haven't seen anything of it. Only connection I had was with the second victim and his former gang. They said he had been acting strange before it happened. Talking crazy about someone following them. Guess they weren't as crazy as the rest had thought. This guy is taking his time about who he picks. He doesn't just rush in and kill them apparently. And from the rumours going around he's looking for something...or someone. They weren't really clear on the details."

"What is it that this man could want..." Star asked rhetorically.

"I dunno, but he's managed to put the fear into most of the local gangs, which is no easy job. They're pulling something big. Something that none of these guys want anything to do with."

"Have you attempted to contact Raven?"

"Yeah. She told me to..." Beast Boy put on a grumpy face mockingly and did his best impression of Raven "Not interrupt her again. She's busy. She'll meet us back west when she's ready."

******

Indeed, Raven had been quite busy. First the Street Skulls had run into, swiftly being dispatched and then interrogated. The Red Blazers met a similar fate and all those in Downtown pointed to the Free Lane district. And all those in Free Lane directed her to King Way. A hot bed of typical gang related activities. Probably the most crowded part of the city in the least amount of space. Here resided the Alley Bandits, her final lead.

_Why do all these people insist on having ridiculous names for their 'gangs.'_

Her last thought before entering the smoke filled bar which served as a sort of headquarters and meeting place for the gang. News spread that they had recently become the biggest and best in the area. But this had done little to increase their bravado when it came to dealing with a Titan. She floated to the bar, having to contend with only glares and wide-eyed looks from the surrounding members. The barman took two steps back, but was cut off by the solid wall behind him. His tough demeanour did nothing to help the situation.

"H-hey...we ain't looking' for any trouble," he stuttered hurriedly.

"Not here to cause any," she replied coolly "I'm looking for...'Slim Jim.' Seen him?"

"Jimmy?" spoke up a particularly burly man, who sat just to the side "He left in a hurry after havin' a meetin' with some new guy."

"New guy? What did he look like? Their name? What were they here for?"

"Whoah whoah...well, the guy's name was erm...Mark? Mark Hanson I think. He stood a bit taller than me. Kinda well-toned, but still a bit scrawny for his height. Came in with a hat and sunglasses on. Full brown beard, hair was the same colour. Seemed like an okay kid. Was looking to get some stuff for his friend Charlie."

"Charlie? Charles David Karner?"

"Err, yeah...I think that's the guy. Jimmy and him go ways back. Anyone who's a friend of Charlie's is a friend of ours', yeah?"

"Charles Karner died yesterday morning. Killed by the Blue Devil."

The burly man, who is known as Paulie, or just Paul, was notably shaken by this revelation and slumped back in his chair. He rested his head on one hand and looked down to the grime covered table, in deep thought. Only the presence of Raven brought him back to the conversation.

"The Blu-...Blue Devil? That's what you're here for?" he asked, gaining a nod in reply from the Titan "Him looking' for us? Aw...hell. I gotta tell th-"

"Wait. That man who came in here yesterday? What did he want?"

"I dunno. Him and Jim went into the backroom to talk over some business. After they was done, the kid came back out and left. Ol' Slim stayed in there for a while, so I went to check up on him. He was just starin' straight at the door. Didn't even move when I came in. Asked him what was up, but he just said that he was surprised by how much err...'stuff' Charlie wanted. Then he shifted on outta here in a hurry. Haven't seen him since. Hey...you don't think-."

But the teenager was already halfway through the door by the time Paulie had looked back up. The door swung closed and everyone gradually returned to their usual conversations. Some murmurs were heard relating to the Titan's presence, but everything generally returned to business as usual. Paul looked back at his drink and circles the rim of the glass with his finger, left in deep thought.

******

An uneventful day. A so far wasted day. Six in the morning and he still hadn't found anything to do. The man lay sprawled out on his bed, looking straight up to the ceiling, his mind running over the past few weeks. He tried piecing everything together. To figure everything out. To try and find the answer he was looking for. But there was still some time to go yet. Plenty of work left undone. And so he led there, thinking of what deed must next be done to further his goal of finding it. Them. Himself. To find his past. An inconsiderate sharp ring brought him out from the trance that had entrapped him for a number of hours. The phone was ringing. But...his phone never rang. He insisted on leaving it to ring out. Which it did eventually, and he relaxed once more. Not two seconds later it started anew, somehow more impatient this time. Jason endeavoured to be rid of this bothersome phone caller and finally decided to answer it.

"Hello?" he snapped "What?...How did you get this phone number? How did you know where I was?...Right...Oh...He is, is he?...Well, no, I haven't been trying to attract their attention...No. I've done what I can t-...Look, how about you try and stay undetected by a city that's got five super-freaks backing it up?...I don't care if he is, just stall him. Throw him off. I. Don't. Care...If they do then I'll just have to make it up as I go along...No I haven't...Yes...Sure. Whatever you say...Yeah. Good luck Johnson."

He clicked the phone back onto its hook and slumped down onto his bed. Things were becoming increasingly complicated. But he couldn't just turn away now. Now that he was so close.

_They won't stop me._


End file.
